Two Cents

Everyone will always have an opinion. This is something I'm going to have to get used to. There will always be someone who disagrees with my opinion, no matter what the matter of interest may be. This is also something I'm going to have to get used to.

I'm not sure why it is so difficult to deal with these facts. I suppose it may stem from growing up in the Bible Belt. While certainly there has always been a variety of opinions floating around about a vast assortment of subjects, there was always a general feeling of sameness that covered it all. And let's face it, we Southern women have a tendency to agree to your face and disagree in your absence. It's a cycle of fake nice and smoke screens that's become a way of life and an ever present reality.

Maybe that's why I'm not quite sure how to deal with opposition head on. It's been a practice of mine to buy a different brand of the aforementioned smoke and just ignore opposition and hope it either fades away or the other party changes their position. It's silly and childish really, and that goes on the list of things I don't need to do anymore. I need to grow up and talk things out. Just do the next right thing and let God take care of the rest.

I also have a habit of dismissing the value of the opinions of others. Raising my banner of "I know what I think and what God says and that's all that matters" it's been easy to cover my ears and pay no heed to warnings and advice. While that opinion certainly has it's place, something it fails to recognize is that God put those other people and other opinions in front of my face for a reason. Whether it may be to wake me up or to strengthen my resolve is what I need to decipher.

So when I have their two cents in my hand I need to remember that it's worth may be much more than just two hundredths of a declining dollar. I need to hear them, but more importantly listen to them. I need to hear more than the words that are said and understand the meaning behind them. I need to listen for what God is trying to tell me in their words.

And that's my two cents worth.